Introducing the nudge: Choice Architecture

One of the key learnings from behavioural psychology is how the way choices are presented can have a big impact on behavioural outcomes. It is not always what customers think and feel around your brand that shapes outcomes.

For many marketers this is quite counter-intuitive; we are so used to thinking about what we do in terms of the ‘value proposition’. We invest lots of money in building the love around our brands through great creative and targeted media, and yet there are many situations where a greater investment in building the love produces little in return. We must also invest in triggering the love. This is where choice architecture can help.

Here is a simple example:

Imagine you walk into a bar, perch yourself on a stool, and order a classic gin and tonic. You pay immediately in cash, and the bartender hands you your change. More often than not (depending on your cultural social norms), you simply pocket the change rather than giving a tip. It’s not that you chose consciously not to give a tip, but this example is more a case of where you didn’t really think about it.

Now let’s imagine that instead of the bartender simply handing you the change, he puts it on a tray in front of you. In this scenario, most people are far more likely to give a tip. This is because you have to actively pick up the change from the tray, triggering the thought, “Maybe I should leave a tip for his service.” So the bar has changed your behaviour without changing your attitude about the service; they have only changed how the decision to tip or not to tip is presented. Clever, eh? 

With this in mind, not every behaviour change requires a massive investment to build the love of your brand. An investment in a relatively minor ‘fix’ around the choice architecture could have considerably more impact on your business than a major investment in brand marketing. Increasingly in a digital world, these triggers are getting more and more important.